James asked Congress to lift restrictions on funding for the Air Force’s next-generation weather satellite program, known as the Weather Satellite Follow-on. Congress had fenced about $21 million from the program in 2015 and 2016 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act amid concerns the Air Force was not focusing on preventing two more immediate gaps in weather satellite data: cloud characterization data and in-theater weather imagery. Lawmakers also wanted a broader weather strategy from the Defense Department. That document is expected to go to Congress soon, sources said.